Kurokawa's place is now in front of us.
I am not going to lie. It feels somewhat odd being invited here. Throughout many resets, I have never gotten a chance to venture inside Kurokawa's house officially.
Actually, make that all of the houses in this world...
Similar to Han's place, I would need to find a way to sneak in like some thieves to know what was going on. And when I got into these locations, I would frantically try to keep myself hidden like a rat. The girls were weirdly attentive when it came to their safe space. Not that I did not understand them, though. My heart feels the same at my squiggly-made house.
Haaaah... Things sure change fast these days...
Orange tiles laminate the roof, a white wall wraps the outside area, and one small garden on the other side of said wall; one would expect our bookworm's location to be the most distinguished in the neighborhood since she is one of the main heroines, but it is not. The fact that she would sooner or later be by Han's side and his mansion already had many rooms to accommodate many supposedly captured targets implied the game never needed to make the outside appearance of this place anything special. Of course, I am only talking about the outward look of it. The inside would be furnished with...stuff. Good and bad alike.
Alas, to me, it is a special place. This house is where Kurokawa lives. That in and of itself is already a valuable thing. Not to mention, the garden would become her mother's final resting place. She is not under six feet yet. And I hope that will never come true.
By the way, after tonight, I should return to my place to see if any changes have occurred. There have been many physical developments in my appearance. It is logical to think my house is different in one way or another, too. What if the squiggly lines are now defined? What if I actually got a bed? That would be awesome!
Still, first thing goes first. My concentration is placed on Kuro at the moment.
"If no one has an issue with our plan, let's go in. You should all start paying attention since I don't know if that person is home yet." Taking the lead, Kurokawa inserts a key into the door, making a faint clicking sound. "If she is home, we can finish everything by this evening. If she is not, we will be waiting for a while. Also, here is a foreword: there is a little bit of an uncomfortable odor inside this house, which will take some time to get used to. How long it takes depends on the person. However, if you can get through the hall, it should not be that bad anymore."
Hold on... Why does it feel nostalgic? Is this not the first time I got a nose?
Sadly, before thinking any further, a sound cuts my train of thought.
"Ack! Ack! Cough!" Desperately trying to keep his nostrils and throat from getting bombarded by the neverending stench, the protagonist coughs violently. I can actually see tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "How... what...is this smell?!"
Poor guy. Well, there is a first for everything. Unless he wants to stay outside for the rest of this mission, he must get through this somehow. Of course, even if he wants to stay out of this event, the answer is still no. I will ask Rachel to grab him if he tries to run. We need his Deus ex Machina aura to do this thing.
"This is unbelievable." Says the class rep with a paling face, pinching her nostrils as hard as humanly possible. Her serious voice becomes a bit funny because of it. "I can not imagine how you're living in such a condition. This is too much for one to bear."
While lowering her body to the floor to remove her shoes, Kurokawa responds to Laura calmly as if nothing is wrong in the air: "Everyone, please remove your shoes before entering the hallway. Also, to answer your question, Laura: Like everything in this world, you get used to it after a while. Or perhaps it was ingrained in my body since my conception to not care in the first place."
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. That is what humans are known for the most. Yet, for some reason, while I agree with what the bookworm is saying, I can not help thinking there is a deeper meaning under her words.
"Welp, Wawa, I gotta say that I'm impressed." Covering her nose and walking inside, Rachel says. Her words may be a little sarcastic, but the tone of Blondie's voice is not. She is genuine. "Keeping such a smell from your clothes and hair is a monumental achievement! Trust me, this kind of smell does not come off easy. If something similar were to attach to my clothes, I would throw them away. As someone who also has to do housework, you gotta tell me your secrets!"
Rather than sarcasm, I can actually feel the enthusiasm in Rachel's voice. It is as though a new door full of possibilities was opened to Blondie. Truthfully, I did not know a smell could kickstart a comradery between household girls. A bad one at that, too! I swear these girls bond over the strangest of things. Who would have known they were always at each others' throats, looking at this scene unfolding before my face!
(I have new a Illustration coming in peeps!)